Lakshmi Puja
Welcoming Lakshmi and Ganesha home on Diwali evening
Common way — most homes
Diwali, Amavasya of Ashwina, in the evening Pradosh Kaal, ideally in Sthir Lagna. Muhurtha shows today's window on the festival card.
About 45 minutes
On Diwali evening the household welcomes Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, with Ganesha, who removes obstacles, beside her. The home is cleaned, lamps are lit, and wealth itself is honoured: coins, jewellery and account books sit before her. If a mantra is hard, "Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah" can stand in for any of them.
Prayers in this puja
Shubham Karoti ›Vakratunda Mahakaya ›Shuklambaradharam ›Mushikavahana ›Namastestu Mahamaye ›Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah ›Om Jai Lakshmi Mata ›Shanti Mantra ›
Get ready
A few days before
- Clean the whole house, and the entrance above all; tradition holds Lakshmi enters a clean, lit home.
- Buy a new Lakshmi-Ganesha idol or picture if your family changes it each year.
On Diwali day
- Draw a rangoli at the door, with small footprints walking inward if your family does this.
- Set out the lamps, and keep the sweets and khil-batasha ready before the muhurat.
What you need
For Lakshmi
- 1 eachLakshmi and Ganesha idol or picture
- 1Kalash with water, mango leaves and a coconut
- A handfulLotus or red and pink flowersMarigold is fine if lotus is hard to find.
- As you haveCoins, jewellery and account books
- 1 plateKhil, batasha and sweets
- 11 or moreSmall clay diyas with oil or ghee
For the altar
- 1Clean cloth to place it onRed or yellow is traditional.
- 1Puja plate (thali)
On the plate
- 1Oil lamp (diya) with a cotton wickGhee or sesame oil.
- 2Incense sticks (agarbatti)
- A pinch eachKumkum and haldi
- A littleSandal paste (chandan)No chandan? Use kumkum.
- 1 tablespoonAkshat — unbroken rice grains mixed with a little kumkum
- A handfulFresh flowers
- 1Small vessel of clean water with a spoon
- 1Small bellOptional.
To offer
- A littleFruit, jaggery, sugar crystals (mishri) or anything cooked fresh at home
- 1 or 2 piecesCamphor for the aartiOptional; the lamp can be used instead.
The puja
Set up the altar
On a clean red cloth, place Ganesha on the left and Lakshmi on the right as you face them. Put the kalash in front on a little rice, with the coins, jewellery and account books beside it.
Settle in
Sit facing east or north before the deity on a mat or folded cloth. Keep the plate on your right. Take a breath and let the day wait for a few minutes.
Achamana — sip water three times
Pour a little water into your right palm and sip it three times, saying the first three names, one with each sip. Then wash your right hand with a little water while saying the fourth.
ōm kēśavāya namaḥ. ōm nārāyaṇāya namaḥ. ōm mādhavāya namaḥ. ōm gōvindāya namaḥ.Salutations to Keshava, Narayana and Madhava; salutations to Govinda.Purify yourself and the place
Hold a flower dipped in water and sprinkle a few drops on yourself, the plate and the altar while saying this verse.
ōm apavitraḥ pavitrō vā sarvāvasthāṁ gatō'pi vā. yaḥ smarēt puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ.Whether pure or impure, in whatever state, one who remembers the lotus-eyed Lord is pure within and without.Light the lamp
Light the lamp and place it to the right of the deity. Fold your hands to it.
śubhaṁ karōti kalyāṇamārōgyaṁ dhanasampadaḥ. śatrubuddhivināśāya dīpajyōtirnamō'stu tē.I bow to the flame of the lamp, which brings good fortune, well-being, health and wealth, and destroys ill will.Remember Ganesha
Every puja begins with Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Fold your hands and say the verse once.
vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakōṭisamaprabha. nirvighnaṁ kuru mē dēva sarvakāryēṣu sarvadā.O Ganesha of the curved trunk and mighty form, radiant as a crore suns, keep my every work free of obstacles, always.Sankalpa — state your intention
Hold a little water, akshat and a flower in your right palm. Say your name, today's date in the Hindu calendar, and why you are doing the puja — for example, for the well-being of the family. Then let the water fall on the ground or into a plate. Tap "Make sankalpa" to read today's full sankalpa.
Dhyana — invite the deity
Close your eyes and picture the deity before you. Offer a pinch of akshat as you invite them to be present.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ. dhyāyāmi, āvāhayāmi.Gandha — sandal paste
Apply a dot of chandan or kumkum to the deity with your ring finger.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ. gandhaṁ samarpayāmi.Pushpa — flowers
Offer the flowers at the deity's feet, one or a few at a time.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ. puṣpāṇi samarpayāmi.Dhupa — incense
Light the incense and wave it gently before the deity three times, clockwise. Ring the bell with your left hand if you have one.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ. dhūpam āghrāpayāmi.Deepa — the lamp
Lift the lamp and show it to the deity, circling it clockwise three times.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ. dīpaṁ darśayāmi.Naivedya — food
Place the food before the deity. Sprinkle a little water around it, and offer it with folded hands. Wait a moment, as if it is being received.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ. naivēdyaṁ nivēdayāmi.Namastestu — praise Mahalakshmi
Offer lotus or red flowers and a coin at her feet while saying this verse.
namastē'stu mahāmāyē śrīpīṭhē surapūjitē. śaṅkhacakragadāhastē mahālakṣmi namō'stu tē.Salutations, great enchantress, worshipped by the gods at the seat of Shri, conch, discus and mace in hand: O Mahalakshmi, I bow to you.Chant her mantra
Chant this on a mala 108 times, or as many as you can, thinking of what you are grateful for.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ.Aarti
Light camphor and sing Om Jai Lakshmi Mata with the family, circling the flame clockwise. Pass the aarti around so everyone can take its warmth.
Pradakshina — circle in reverence
Turn around clockwise in your place three times (or walk around the altar if there is room), saying this verse.
yāni kāni ca pāpāni janmāntarakr̥tāni ca. tāni tāni vinaśyanti pradakṣiṇapadē padē.Whatever wrongs were done in past lives are destroyed with every step taken around the Lord.Kshama prarthana — ask forgiveness
With folded hands, ask forgiveness for anything done wrong or left out. This closes every puja.
āvāhanaṁ na jānāmi na jānāmi visarjanam. pūjāṁ caiva na jānāmi kṣamasva paramēśvara. mantrahīnaṁ kriyāhīnaṁ bhaktihīnaṁ surēśvara. yatpūjitaṁ mayā dēva paripūrṇaṁ tadastu mē.I do not know how to invite you, nor how to send you off, nor even how to worship; forgive me, O Lord. Whatever I have offered — lacking in mantra, in action or in devotion — may it be made whole.Light the lamps
Carry lit diyas from the altar to every room, the doorway and the windows. Keep one lamp burning through the night if it is safe to do so.
Prasad
Bow down. Take a little of the offered food as prasad and share it with the family. Let the lamp burn out on its own.
Fasting
Some keep a fast until the evening puja. It is not required.
Good to do
- Keep the main door open or the entrance lit during the puja.
- Share sweets with neighbours and those who work for you.
Tradition avoids
- Keep lamps away from curtains and children, and never leave them burning unattended in a closed room.
- Tradition avoids lending money or sweeping out the house right after the puja.
Lakshmi is said to stay where there is order, gratitude and generosity. A clean home, one lamp and a sincere thank you are the heart of it.
Traditions vary. Follow your own family's way.